Chennai: A woman walks across a road during monsoon rainfall, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Image used for representation purposes only.
| Photo Credit:
R SENTHILKUMAR
Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Saikumar on Sunday conducted an extensive field inspection of vital stormwater infrastructure across Chennai's Adyar, Perungudi, and Sholinganallur zones, issuing a strict ultimatum to all key government departments to wrap up all precautionary flood mitigation projects by the end of September.
Last week, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) allocated ₹100 crore to execute comprehensive precautionary measures across city limits in view of the upcoming North East (NE) monsoon and El Niño.
The high-level review targeted crucial flood-mitigation sites, including newly built stormwater drains, canal expansions, and desilting operations.
The Chief Secretary's directive calls for seamless inter-departmental synchronisation among the GCC, Water Resources Department (WRD), Highways Department, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), and Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) to prevent waterlogging once the heavy rains hit.
Reiterating that departmental silos would not be tolerated during monsoon preparations, Saikumar said, "With all state agencies now operating on a unified timetable, the state administration aims to finish all physical infrastructure, desilting, and canal link works by the end of the month, ensuring residents face zero hardship during the monsoon season".
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GCC sources further said that ₹22.46 crore was allocated to de-silt stormwater drains covering a total distance of 1,671 km and ₹10 crore was sanctioned directly to local administrative units, allocating ₹5 lakh per ward for disaster mitigation.
Similarly, ₹22 crore set aside for region-wise tenders to repair and restore damaged stretches ₹26.53 crore earmarked through tenders to hire and deploy 150 numbers of 100 HP pumps and 500 tractor-mounted pumps in low-lying areas.
Noting that ₹4.65 crore was sanctioned to hire temporary personnel for operating pumps and water storage tanks, a senior official of GCC said over 1,000 extra workers will be engaged for monsoon-related emergency duties and ₹15 lakh allotted to conduct aerial drone surveys of canals to assess obstruction points and streamline clearance work.
"About ₹60 lakh designated to procure 15,000 emergency kits containing essential commodities for flood-affected families", he added.
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